All Interested in Politics - no really

It's good - for my momentous 100th post, to have a serious topic I think.

Went to see Ganley v's Rabbitte last night, on the topic of Lisbon. The kids were all there from the colleges, clutching financial times', there were plenty of people who generate newsprint, there was a man in the uniform suit and tie with his heartbeat visible in the tick of his crossed leg while he fiddled with his name tag, there was a swashbuckling cross between the creepy country squire from the fast show, and the host of the Crystal maze, whose hands did very convincing imitations of those last seen in the Godfather movies.
Harry McGee was the chairman, and a very entertaining one he was. I was sitting right behind G, and the mind games started when R got up and crossed over to the podium on our side of the room, rather than using his own side, which had a dodgy mike. Mind games contined with G asking Harry in a commanding tone "How much time have I got?" just when he knew the chairman was about to tip the glass and quietly remind him there was one minute to go in the peroration (new word I learned just then)
G was more up for the debate than R, by a long shot, I had a good view of the notes he was scribbling when R was kicking off, wild scribbles with lots of exclamation marks, terrible handwriting. R seemed tired, when asked to speak up he apologised that he'd been working on other things this week, and his main tactic seemed to be to try and hold onto the ball as long as possible, giving slow, lazy answers to most questions. By the end of it he'd even lost that much interest and gave short lazy answers instead. So that was dissappointing.
G in true hollywood style attempted to drop a clanger. Theatrically describing his dinner last december with Alexandra Vondra, preying on our love of spy movies, when AV told him that the Irish politicians told the Czechs they'd like the Czechs to agree with Lisbon, even though Ireland had said no. He said they were trying to isolate us from the rest of Europe, our very own politicians. A lady who sounded like she'd never usually say such things shouted up "He's only a headbanger anyway" and it did rile the audience a little, but petered out embarrassingly, and to me was the least credible and least interesting part of his whole argument. The audience had some entertaining exchanges among themselves too, like when someone shouted "IT'S A LIE" before G had finished a particular sentance, he was answered with a "WHAT'S A LIE? CAN YOU READ HIS MIND CAN YA?" As far as I know, no blows were exchanged.
Most people paid no heed to R's own clanger - where he was asked by Harry whether a certain argument of his was dishonest, his reply was "Not only is it dishonest, but I reiterate it strongly and with great conviction...." No one seemed to notice, all assuming it was a slip of the tongue, but I think I saw a little glint in his eye - a little honesty slipped in there, for the laugh, to see if anyone copped it, like when you're a teenager and you tell your folks sarcastically "Oh I'm just going out to get rat arsed drunk and probably puke my guts up" - UCG were taping it, they can produce the evidence if it's ever needed.
In the end G looked like the smarter and more interested person, but I do feel like he didn't really have a debate. R's strongest point was that we've been getting more than our fair share and we've to keep doing that - which sounds logical, but also kind of squeamishly immoral and not that nice... I don't know enough to urge you to vote either way, I know you should go see them for yourself, or something...